Jets Inaugural Game vs Canadiens, 1972
The return of the Jets: a new chapter in Winnipeg hockey history.
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The team is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, playing its home games at Canada Life Centre. The franchise was established as the Atlanta Thrashers on June 25, 1997, and began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season. True North Sports & Entertainment bought the team in May 2011 and relocated the Thrashers to Winnipeg prior to the 2011–12 season, renaming them the Winnipeg Jets.
Quick Facts
- Team
- Winnipeg Jets (charter WHA franchise, 1972)
- Opponent
- New York Raiders
- Venue
- Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Season
- 1972–73 (Jets' first WHA season)
- Result
- Jets won 6-4
- Head coach
- Nick Mickoski
- League context
- 1972 WHA inaugural season (Jets were a charter member of the new league)
Lore & Background
The original Winnipeg Jets were a founding franchise in the World Hockey Association (WHA), granted on December 27, 1971. They were absorbed into the NHL in 1979 as part of the WHA–NHL merger. In 1996, owner Barry Shenkarow sold the team to American businessmen Steven Gluckstern and Richard Burke, who moved the team to Arizona to become the Phoenix Coyotes. The original Jets played their last game on April 28, 1996. The current Jets franchise began as the Atlanta Thrashers, an NHL expansion team awarded on June 25, 1997, which started play in the 1999–2000 season. The Thrashers qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs once, in 2006–07, and never won a playoff game. True North Sports & Entertainment purchased the Thrashers in May 2011 and relocated them to Winnipeg for the 2011–12 season.
Reader's Guide
The current Winnipeg Jets made their formal regular season debut on October 9, 2011, at MTS Centre (now Canada Life Centre) against the Montreal Canadiens, losing 5–1. Nik Antropov scored the first-ever goal for the current Jets franchise. The team's name was announced at the 2011 NHL entry draft on June 24, 2011, when general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff made the team's first pick on behalf of the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets inherited the Thrashers' position in the Southeast Division for the 2011–12 season, then moved to the Western Conference's Central Division beginning in 2013–14.
More in Iconic Matches
Elsewhere in Winnipeg Jets
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced